On April 15, 2011, Howard Schultz, Chairman, President and CEO of Starbucks Coffee Company, was awarded the University of Arizona 2011 Executive of the Year Award. Established in 1983 by the Eller College of Management National Board of Advisors, the Executive of the Year Award honors individuals who exemplify executive qualities in private enterprise and public service.

Howard Schultz first walked into Starbucks in Seattle's Pike Place Market in 1981. Howard was invited into conversation with these connoisseurs who took great care in not only finding and roasting the highest quality coffee, but also sharing their passion with others. Drawn to Seattle and its extraordinary coffee culture, Howard moved from his native New York and joined Starbucks, in 1982, as director of operations and marketing when Starbucks had only four stores.

He has been recognized extensively for his passion, leadership, and efforts to strengthen communities, with honors including the Horatio Alger Award for those who have overcome adversity to achieve success; the Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for Business Ethics given by Notre Dame University's Mendoza College of Business; the Botwinick Prize in Business Ethics from Columbia University School of Business; and the first ever John Wooden Global Leadership Award from UCLA Anderson School of Management. He has also been included in Time magazine's "Time 100," a list of the most influential people in the world. Howard and his wife, Sheri, live in Seattle and have two children.